Dear Farmer/Agri-Business Executive:

Agriculture is NZ’s most dynamic, fast-changing sector where the ability to keep up with and anticipate trends is essential to the future profitability of your business.

The Main Report’s Agri-Business Week is the most convenient and concise means to keep up-to-date with what is happening in your sector.

Each week The Main Report’s Agri-Business Week prepares you to take hold of new opportunities ahead with farming solutions, trends, ideas, forecasts and analysis – to improve prospects for your farming success.

Whether it is the current market trends, helpful tips on pasture or stock management, the latest developments in agriculture science or regulatory changes, you will find it all in the The Main Report’s Agri-Business Week.

Receive helpful advice and ideas on: Government thinking and legislation farm management cost controls productivity hiring and firing quality control farm equipment financial planning forecasts and trends meat export schedule livestock markets agricultural research & development diversification pasture management

The Big Issues facing agriculture
and agri-business:

Reshaping the Dairy Industry – Fonterra is pushing forward with the final phase of its capital restructuring that will allow Trading Among Farmers and free it from redemption risk. But opponents of the scheme say the latest changes will tie farmers to the cooperative, making it harder to exit and supply milk to rivals. Global prices have soared with demand from emerging Asian countries such as China and Fonterra has warned that there may be some pullback this year as buyers find pricing too rich and producers in other nations ramp up production. At home, farm prices have been sinking, with foreign interest in dairy production one of the only things capping the slide. Will this trend continue?

Meat Industry Future Far From Secure – Rising sheep meat prices have eased pressure on farmers to convert or sell up. But over-capacity in the meat industry remains and the industry’s biggest players still haven’t found a way to work more closely together to strengthen their pricing leverage in export markets. How will the industry face up to these challenges? In some export markets, reports are emerging of buyer resistance to rising meat prices. That underlines the urgency of breaking into Asia Tiger economies that are becoming wealthier and developing more of a taste for meat. How well can New Zealand establish a beachhead in markets of huge potential such as China?

Neo-Protectionism versus FTAs - Govts around the world are taking steps to shore up their own economies but in some cases this is taking the shape of imposing new farm subsidies. At the same time, New Zealand is advancing a range of free trade deals that promise to deliver massive new benefits for exporters. What can Govt do to try to boost returns from farm exports?

Resurgent wool - Wool prices are now double what they were at the beginning of 2010 bringing smiles to hard pressed sheep farmers. How long will the high prices continue and is it just a sign of shrinking sheep flocks constraining supply? Will sheep numbers rebound on the back of higher wool prices?

Traceability - The Govt has conceded that increasingly affluent consumers in export markets are demanding to know the origin or heritage of the products they buy, hence the arrival of the new animal traceability scheme, NAIT, which comes into effect for cattle on November 1 and for deer in March 2013. Farmers have grudglingly accepted the system while bridling at the additional costs, but the Govt maintains it will help ensure New Zealand products earn and keep their place in the world’s supermarkets.

Regulatory Reform - The Govt has reformed the Resource Management Act and hacked back red tape to reduce costs for farmers and other businesspeople. Will farmers be able to profit from the changes and will the reforms go far enough?

Climate Change - The Govt’s contentious Emissions Trading Scheme is seen in the rural sector as one of its potentially biggest threats, though there is greater buy-in now from farmers, anxious to do their part to ensure New Zealand’s clean, green reputation is unscathed. Will new technology be able to offset the potentially huge financial losses such a scheme may inflict?

Food Miles - Geographically-remote producers of food are coming under increasing scrutiny when it comes to how much fossil fuels are burned to get produce to distant markets. Shipping companies are meeting their own emission reduction targets by ‘slow steaming’, which reduces the shelf life of NZ product on supermarket shelves overseas. The food miles debate could yet flare up again and threaten NZ’s primary produce exports.

Sustainability - The agri-business sector is coming under increasing pressure to prove its production techniques are environmentally-friendly and humane. How will the costs of meeting such challenges be absorbed and will the commercial gains outweigh the costs?

42 year track record for accuracy and detail

The Main Report’s Agri-Business Week is written and edited by The Main Report and Trans Tasman Editors. Advertising is not accepted. Editors have no allegiance to any political party or other outside lobby. Their duty is solely to you, our client.

Subscribe today and save $90

If you subscribe today, we’ll start your subscription (46 issues a year) at the special rate of $149. That’s an $90 saving off the regular price of $239.

Sincerely

Max Bowden
Editor in Chief